A new report released Thursday by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise (AICE), an organization dedicated to strengthening the US-Israel relationship through research, analysis and education, raises serious concerns about the extent of foreign funding in American higher education.
According to the findings, since 1981 US universities have received more than $14.6 billion from Arab donors, including governments and institutions. Dr. Mitchell Bard, the report's author, warned that this enormous sum could undermine academic freedom, reshape research priorities, and even endanger US national security.
The report, titled Arab Funding of American Universities: Donors, Recipients, and Impact, was published against the backdrop of growing public concern over campus antisemitism and foreign interference in American academia.
Three countries alone – Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – account for 83% of the Arab donations. Qatar leads with $6.6 billion, followed by Saudi Arabia with $3.9 billion and the UAE with $1.7 billion. Alarmingly, 73% of the funds, totaling $10.7 billion, were reported without specifying their purpose.
Over four decades, 13,847 Arab donations were made to 290 institutions across 49 US states.
A third of the contributions have come since 2020, including a record $1.5 billion in 2021. Among the universities receiving the largest sums are Cornell ($2.3 billion), Carnegie Mellon ($1.05 billion), Georgetown ($1.016 billion) and Texas A&M ($1.015 billion).
The report describes how universities that accept Arab funding often employ professors critical of Israel and supportive of the boycott movement (BDS) against it. This has raised concerns about their influence on campus culture and the education of future US policymakers.
To address these risks, the report recommends a series of steps to increase transparency and curb foreign interference: lowering the reporting threshold for foreign donations from $250,000 to $50,000; requiring universities to disclose donor identities and funding purposes on their websites; initiating congressional investigations into the influence of foreign money on national security and policymaking; and considering restrictions or bans on donations from authoritarian states.
Bard accused universities and the US Department of Education of concealing how billions in Arab donations were used. He said external sources show the money funded anti-Israel programs and efforts to justify radical Islam.
As a case study, he cited the funding of a professorship in "Palestine studies" at Brown University. A Department of Education report revealed that the funding directly financed the appointment of a supporter of boycotting Israel.
Bard added, "We don't know whether the money changes professors' views or simply goes to those who already share the donors' positions. What is clear is that pro-Israel faculty do not receive support from Arab foundations." He warned that foreign donations always come with implicit strings attached. "Even if the research appears apolitical, there is an unspoken expectation of preferential treatment toward the donors."
